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oxfordcommas91 's review for:
Onyx Storm
by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[Mostly spoiler free review, will cover spoilers]
I unfortunately think this is my least favorite of the Empyrean series to date. I had so much fun with Fourth Wing, which was admittedly my introduction to romantasy, and enjoyed Iron Flame.
I think we may have lost the plot in Onyx Storm. While I'm sympathetic to the fact that the "middle books" in a series like this one are more challenging because they set up action to come, I think Yarros struggled to introduce the readers to elements of the world and magic system. Much of this work could and should have been done earlier on, but a lack of deep storytelling early on in the series really catches up with us here. I appreciate that Yarros tries to leave breadcrumbs for her readers, but too many meaningful pieces that are critical to a deeper understanding of the book remain either elusive (i.e. you have to be the type of reader that enjoys reading a book three times and annotating it) or entirely too obvious. The world building is clunky and chaotic at best, and even readers of high fantasy like myself may struggle with the first 100-150 pages. The info dumps were prolific without much more to hold your attention.
Yarros similarly seemed to struggle with the pacing until we hit a solid 50% in - there's a lot of battle scenes that cut immediately back to a boring classroom scene, and that seems to loop throughout a good portion of the book.
I was less invested in the romance arc between our two leads than I was in the previous two novels. Xaden ismoody and possessive, and. not in a good way. It's beginning to border the sort of toxic masculinity vibe that turns me off. Xaden continues to intervene in her life whenever he feels threatened or jealous, despite the fact that she proves her dedication to him over and over and over again. I'm glad we've freed ourselves of their miscommunication trope from Iron Flame, but the romance has less fun and spark than it used to.
I continue to appreciate Yarros' efforts at disability representation as well as representation of badass women and people of color throughout her book. The disabled, women, and people of color aren't just sidekicks to a white man, they are main characters given depth and compelling storylines of their own. One of the bright spots of this book for me was the additional details and character development of Violet & Xaden's friends. Learning more about Ridoc, Rhi, Garrick, Bodhi, Cat, and Aaric and what makes them tick added a layer of complexity to the previous books and I've now become attached to the squad. And I'd be remiss if I didn't say that Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, and the whole Empyrean remain a delight. I got plenty of giggles from Tairn's lectures and Andarna's continued sassy adolescent drama.
While I've lost some of my enthusiasm for the series, I am likely invested enough to want to read the last two, but I hope that Yarros will take the time off that she needs to get a real break from the series and feel like she's ready to come back fresh to it and give her readers her best for book 4. Fourth Wing was so well done that I hope that the last two books will do the series proud.
I unfortunately think this is my least favorite of the Empyrean series to date. I had so much fun with Fourth Wing, which was admittedly my introduction to romantasy, and enjoyed Iron Flame.
I think we may have lost the plot in Onyx Storm. While I'm sympathetic to the fact that the "middle books" in a series like this one are more challenging because they set up action to come, I think Yarros struggled to introduce the readers to elements of the world and magic system. Much of this work could and should have been done earlier on, but a lack of deep storytelling early on in the series really catches up with us here. I appreciate that Yarros tries to leave breadcrumbs for her readers, but too many meaningful pieces that are critical to a deeper understanding of the book remain either elusive (i.e. you have to be the type of reader that enjoys reading a book three times and annotating it) or entirely too obvious. The world building is clunky and chaotic at best, and even readers of high fantasy like myself may struggle with the first 100-150 pages. The info dumps were prolific without much more to hold your attention.
Yarros similarly seemed to struggle with the pacing until we hit a solid 50% in - there's a lot of battle scenes that cut immediately back to a boring classroom scene, and that seems to loop throughout a good portion of the book.
I was less invested in the romance arc between our two leads than I was in the previous two novels. Xaden is
I continue to appreciate Yarros' efforts at disability representation as well as representation of badass women and people of color throughout her book. The disabled, women, and people of color aren't just sidekicks to a white man, they are main characters given depth and compelling storylines of their own. One of the bright spots of this book for me was the additional details and character development of Violet & Xaden's friends. Learning more about Ridoc, Rhi, Garrick, Bodhi, Cat, and Aaric and what makes them tick added a layer of complexity to the previous books and I've now become attached to the squad. And I'd be remiss if I didn't say that Tairn, Andarna, Sgaeyl, and the whole Empyrean remain a delight. I got plenty of giggles from Tairn's lectures and Andarna's continued sassy adolescent drama.
While I've lost some of my enthusiasm for the series, I am likely invested enough to want to read the last two, but I hope that Yarros will take the time off that she needs to get a real break from the series and feel like she's ready to come back fresh to it and give her readers her best for book 4. Fourth Wing was so well done that I hope that the last two books will do the series proud.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Abandonment
Minor: Vomit